Sphinx ligustri

"Privet hawk moth" redirects here. For the other moth with this common name, see Psilogramma menephron.

Privet hawk moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Sphinx
Species:	S. ligustri
Binomial name
Sphinx ligustri Linnaeus, 1758 [1]
Synonyms
Sphinx chishimensisMatsumura, 1929 Sphinx spiraeaeEsper, 1800 Sphinx ligustri albescensTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri amurensisOberthür, 1886 Sphinx ligustri brunneaTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri brunnescens(Lempke, 1959) Sphinx ligustri cingulata(Lempke, 1964) Sphinx ligustri eichleriEitschberger, Danner & Surholt, 1992 Sphinx ligustri fraxiniDannehl, 1925 Sphinx ligustri grisea(Closs, 1917) Sphinx ligustri incertaTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri intermediaTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri lutescensTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri nisseniRothschild & Jordan, 1916 Sphinx ligustri obscuraTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri pallidaTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri perversaGehlen, 1928 Sphinx ligustri postrufescens(Lempke, 1959) Sphinx ligustri rosaceaRebel, 1910 Sphinx ligustri seydeliDebauche, 1934 Sphinx ligustri subpallidaTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri typicaTutt, 1904 Sphinx ligustri unifasciataGschwandner, 1912 Sphinx ligustri weryiRungs, 1977 Sphinx ligustri zolotuhiniEitschberger & Lukhtanov, 1996

Sphinx ligustri, the privet hawk moth, is a moth found in most of the Palearctic realm. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Description

It has a 12 centimetres (4.7 in) wingspan (generally deflexed at rest), and is found in urban areas, forests and woodlands.

The male privet hawk moth can make a hissing sound, if disturbed, by rubbing together a set of scales and spines at the end of its abdomen. ^[2]

The larvae are usually found between July and August: and bury themselves in the earth when preparing to become a pupa. They then fly in the following June. ^[3]

Diet

As both its common name and specific name - ligustri being derived from the Latin ligustrum, 'privet' - describes, the caterpillars feed on privets, as well as ash trees, lilacs, jasmine, and a number of other plants.

Gallery

• 
  Female, dorsal side
• 
  Female, ventral side
• 
  Male, dorsal side
• 
  Male, ventral side

• 
  Caterpillar
• 
  Pupating
• 
  Pupa
• 
  Pupa, caterpillar, and adult

References

1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
2. "Privet Hawk-moth – Natural Lizard". 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
3. Donovan, Edward (1792). The Natural History of British Insects: Explaining Them in Their Several States, With the Periods of Their Transformations, Their Food, Economy, &c. Together With the History of Such Minute Insects As Require Investigation by the Microscope: The Whole Illustrated by Coloured Figures, Designed and Executed from Living Specimens. London. p. 79.

External links

• Media related to Sphinx ligustri at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Sphinx ligustri at Wikispecies
• "69.006 BF1976 Privet Hawk-moth Sphinx ligustri Linnaeus, 1758". UKMoths. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
• Pittaway, A. R. (2018). "Sphinx Linnaeus, 1758". Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
• "06832 Sphinx ligustri Linnaeus, 1758 - Ligusterschwärmer". Lepiforum e.V. Retrieved December 13, 2018.